<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>just a phone call away by OnyxSphinx</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557498">just a phone call away</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxSphinx/pseuds/OnyxSphinx'>OnyxSphinx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>newmann one-shots [168]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pacific Rim (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Kind of Sweet, M/M, don’t worry hermann he’ll be back in a few weeks, hermann’s worried about newt and misses him</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:08:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,207</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557498</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxSphinx/pseuds/OnyxSphinx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermann’s a worrier by nature</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>newmann one-shots [168]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1286762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>just a phone call away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>anon asked: “ Prompt: "It’s fine,” Hermann interrupts, but his voice makes it clear that this is anything but fine. Like he has to hide his feelings completely to keep them from being hurt. Newt never wants to hear him sound like that again. “No, Hermann, really. I had a great time! I’ve just been busy, is all. What’s the matter?” “Nothing’s the matter, Newton,” Hermann lies, softer this time. Newton doesn’t believe him for a second. ”</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re leaving?”</p><p>Hermann’s face is pinched; a diversion from its usual flat, unreadable (to other people, anyway) look. Newt wonders if he’s just annoyed, or if he’s genuinely hurt. Newt, for one, would be—but, to be fair, he probably likes Hermann more than Hermann likes him.</p><p>He shrugs. “Only a few months—don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it,” he adds, trying for teasing.</p><p>It apparently doesn’t go over well—or goes over too well—because when Hermann speaks, his tone is a bit sharper than the situation really calls for. “Trust me,” he says, “I’ll be aware of every moment of your absence—if only because, for once, there will be some peace and quiet.”</p><p>Newt thinks that’s a bit dramatic. He’s not <em>that</em> loud. Well—okay, so maybe he sometimes leaves the radio on too loud, or one of his samples explodes, but that was <em>one time.</em> Hermann has no right to still be all pissy over <em>that.</em></p><p>“Don’t touch my samples,” he says, instead, “I know you want to throw them away, but those are, like, important to saving the human race, even if you hate them.”</p><p>“I wasn’t going to—!” Hermann sputters, like the lying liar he is.</p><p>Newt scoffs. “Sure,” he says, sarcastically, “just like you were never going to hate me.” The words are out of his mouth before he can think; and he only realises his mistake a moment later. <em>Sorry,</em> he wants to say, <em>fuck, Herms, I’m so sorry,</em> but they’re not quite that close anymore, and Newt’s bus is here in fifteen minutes so he kind of has to hustle.</p><p>Hermann doesn’t show any sign of having been affected, and Newt is, in equal parts, glad and pained by it. “I shan’t touch them,” he says, and maybe his voice is a bit tighter. Could just be Newt’s imagination, but he hopes it’s not. “You have my word.”</p><p>“Right,” Newt says, after a beat. “Okay. Great. Well, uh, I have to get going—Marshal Yu won’t be happy if I miss my bus ride.”</p><p>“No,” Hermann agrees, “he won’t. Off you go.”</p><p>Newt bites the inside of his cheek. He wants to say <em>bye,</em> but the air between them is too awkward; so he just gives a slight tilt of his head and turns on his heel, leaving Hermann behind him.</p><p>Newt barely manages to grab his suitcase from his room and get to the bus stop on time—he has to sprint a bit, so he’s huffing and puffing and collapses into one of the seats; hence why he doesn’t realise until about an hour into the ride that he has a text.</p><p>It’s from Hermann; Newt opens his messages to find four image attachments, one of each of his current main samples, and a singular caption: <em>Your samples are safe and sound.</em></p><p>Newt finds himself smiling despite his remaining windedness; and he shifts slightly in his seat so he can type comfortably.</p><p><em>thanks,</em> he types, and then deletes it, twice; and settles on <em>truly a man of honour</em> because he means it, but also he’s not going to pass up a chance to twig Hermann about his weird Victorianisms.</p>
<hr/><p>A few days into his stay, he gets another text from Hermann; the sound startling him from his thoughts. He’s been busy coordinating sample deliveries all day, and he’s only just gotten a moment of silence.</p><p>He pulls his phone out. <em>Are you free?</em>reads Hermann’s text.</p><p>Newt frowns. <em>yeah, why?</em> he shoots back. <em>did something happen?</em></p><p>
  <em>No, I was just wondering if you had a moment to talk?</em>
</p><p>Oh. Is he going to—? Newt really hopes so. He’s started to miss the prickly physicist, honestly. His suspicions are proved correct a moment later when the ellipses appear, and then: <em>A phone call, perhaps?</em></p><p>Newt bites his tongue. <em>Measured response, Geiszler,</em> he reminds himself. <em>sure,</em> he replies. <em>what time?</em></p><p>
  <em>Now?</em>
</p><p>Newt does his best not to jump out of his seat. <em>no yeah that’s great.</em></p><p>A beat later his phone rings; and, hand shaking slightly, he taps the <em>accept call icon.</em> “Hey,” he says, and then curses how his voice cracks in the middle of the word. “What’s up?”</p><p>Hermann’s voice, tinny and small, crackles through. “Just making sure you hadn’t died.”</p><p>“Aww,” Newt grins, “you’re worried about me?”</p><p>A sigh; and then, grudgingly: “I…” he can practically imagine Hermann’s pursed-lip expression; like someone who bit into a lemon without realising it and now is regretting every facet of his life. “I can’t trust the other K-Scientists there to make sure you don’t harm yourself with some experiment.”</p><p>“Dude, I’m a fully competent scientist myself,” Newt points out; and then, softer, “I’m fine, I promise. You don’t need to bother yourself worrying about me, okay?”</p><p>“I never said I was worrying,” Hermann snaps; sounding slightly raw; and Newt resists the instinctive urge to raise his hands placatingly.</p><p>“Fine. You weren’t worrying about me. But I <em>am</em> alright.”</p><p>“Good,” Hermann says; and then, again, “good.”</p><p>Newt fidgets. “Anything else you need, or…? ‘cause I have to get back to dealing with moving some specimens in a minute.”</p><p>“Oh. Er, no,” Hermann replies. “Goodbye, Newton.”</p><p>“Goodbye,” Newt says, but the line’s already gone dead. He sighs.</p><p>The next week is so hectic Newt almost forgets about the call, at least until his phone rings again, the caller ID reading <em>herms.</em> He picks it up immediately. “Yeah?”</p><p>With the perpetual awkwardness he seems prone to, Hermann says, “Er, hello Newton. I was just calling to make sure—well, I just hadn’t heard from you in over a week. I—ah, nevermind,” he finishes weakly.</p><p>Newt frowns. “No, dude, obviously something’s on your mind—”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Hermann interrupts, but his voice makes it clear that this is anything but fine. Like he has to hide his feelings completely to keep them from being hurt. Newt never wants to hear him sound like that again. "How’s your time there been, with the specimens? —and don’t tell me it’s been 'alright’.”</p><p>“No, Hermann, really. I’m having a great time! I’ve just been busy, is all. What’s the matter?”</p><p>“Nothing’s the matter, Newton,” Hermann lies, softer this time. Newton doesn’t believe him for a second.</p><p>“Something obviously is—wait,” he says; frown deepening. “You said I 'didn’t call for a week'—were you worried about me?”</p><p>“No,” Hermann lies again; and Newt sighs.</p><p>“I’m sorry, dude, I’ve just…like I said, I’ve been busy. I’m sorry for worrying you, though, okay?”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Hermann says; again; and Newt wants to smack him for being an idiot.</p><p>Instead he just says, “Obviously it’s not. Look, I’ve got a meeting in a few, but—do you want to call again afterwards? And then we can talk about setting up regular call-times so that you don’t worry too much.”</p><p>There’s a beat; and for a moment, Newt’s afraid that he’s going to refuse; and then he says, “Alright. That would be…I would like that. Thank you.”</p><p>“'course,” Newt says. “Now I gotta go, but I’ll call you later, okay?”</p><p>“Okay,” Hermann repeats. “Goodbye, Newton.”</p><p>“Goodbye,” Newt replies, and smiles slightly when he realises that Hermann waited an extra few seconds before hanging up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you can find me at <a href="https://autisticharrow.tumblr.com/">autisticharrow</a> on tumblr</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>